If you use Front Row you may have found that it will only catalog video from your Movies folder. If you kept all of your movies in there this would be fine but for laptops or people who prefer to keep downloaded movies and television shows on an external hard drive Front Row is pointless.

So if you have your Macbook Pro hooked up to an HDTV and you want to sit back and use your Apple Remote and Front Row to browse your movies and television shows, you’re going to need a way of making sure those shows are accessible in Front Row. So here is a simple trick that will allow you to import a folder to be accessible in Front Row.

Step 1:
Navigate to your Movies folder.

Step 2:
Open a seperate window and navigate to the folder that contains the video that you want Front Row to access.

Step 3:
Create a shortcut (or alias in the world of apple) of the folder from Step 2.

Step 4:
Drag the Alias folder to your Movies Folder.

Step 5:
Begin using Front Row by using the keyboard shortcut “Command + Escape”. This will begin Front Row. Now navigate to Videos and then Movies and you should see the folder contents of the shortcut that you created earlier. All of your videos should now be accessible through Front Row even though they are being stored in a folder that is not actually located in your Movies folder.

Note: You must ensure that the content you have downloaded is able to be played by Front Row. Front Row uses Quicktime to render video so you must ensure that your video content will play in Quicktime for it to be able to play in Front Row.

There is an excellent free plugin for Quicktime that will allow it to play pretty much any video you throw at it just like VLC player. This plugin is called Perian and it will make Front Row a very versatile program that will allow you to enjoy your media library from afar while sitting back and watching video on your mac played through an HDTV.

Front Row is good for those looking for a simple interface that is more like a media center. It displays the titles in a way that you can read them from afar and is designed to work with the Apple Remote. There are also other media center applications out there that you should look into if you are looking for a different experience than the one Front Row provides.

But what if you want to take your movies or tv shows with you on your iPod? This is where adding videos to iTunes becomes necessary.

First things first. You need to get content. So you can download television shows for free on the internet and you can rip your dvd’s to your iTunes as well. Follow the links to learn how to do that.

How to import AVI into iTunes

Now depending on what you are wanting to add you will need to convert your video to an .mp4 file so that it can enter into your iTunes library.

When you download television shows they most usually come in an .avi file format. iTunes will not accept this format. The program you need to download to do the conversion is called iSquint. The developers for iSquint have discontinued work on this software however you can still find copies of it out there. It is free and very simple to use. You just have to drag a file into the window and check the settings you want. You can even check that you want it added to iTunes.

Below is a screenshot of the iSquint interface. You can almost tell exactly how to use it by looking at it. Just check the appropriate boxes and drag your file into the larger white area. Make sure you select your destination so you know where your files are once the conversion is complete.

iSquint works like a charm for converting .avi files to play iTunes. After the conversion is done, all you have to do is drag your newly converted file into iTunes (if you didn’t click the box for iSquint to do it for you) and iTunes will start importing it.

Add video to iTunes Library

Once you have completed adding your video to iTunes you need to put it onto your iPod or iPhone.

Take a look at the screenshot below. Note that we are looking at the movie section of iTunes. Also note there is a device listed which is my old school iPod nano with video screen.

To do this simply plug in your device and add the video like you would for a song. Your video will be kept in your movies folder in iTunes by default until you change the information to reflect that it is a tv show. Click on the Movies section and you will see your videos that you have imported. Click on the appropriate video and drag it to the iPod or iPhone icon along the left hand side listed under Devices.

You will then have your video added to your iPod or iPhone to take on the road with you. I personally like to have some workout videos on my iPod so that I can see proper exercise technique when I’m at the gym. It can be hard to remember all of the different exercises in P90X or the 10 minute trainer series.

So now you should be all set up to go with your portable device and some video content to keep you entertained on your commute or for even more practical applications like bringing presentations or tutorial videos with you to learn on your way to something.

It’s a lot of writing for a few simple steps:

1. Convert your AVI to MP4 using iSquint OR Rip your dvd using Handbrake
2. Add your MP4 to iTunes
3. Transfer to your device

Sometimes some software is just better on Windows because there isn’t a good alternative for Mac…yet. This is the case in this situation. There may be a better way that I have not found yet. If you know what that is leave a comment and I will update this page to show the best and cheapest way to burn .avi files to DVD.

So you have learned how to watch tv shows on your mac computer for free but you are looking for a way to burn those .avi files to dvd so that they can play in standalone dvd player. You would think Mac would be all over this, but after countless hours of searching for a solution to this problem I must say that I have needed to use Windows and Convert X to DVD. This is by far the easiest way to accomplish burning .avi files to dvd that results in top quality playback.

If you are burning these files so that you can watch them in your own home on your HDTV, I would recommend you learn how to hook your mac up to an HDTV in order to save some money and wasted DVD’s. For the cost of one batch of blank DVD’s you can watch anything from your computer on your television.

I have tried using Toast and I have tried using many other video file conversion software but I have not yet figured out how to this on the Mac side of things. I will continue to search for a way and then post an update once I have. In the meantime we need to solve your problem of making dvd’s out of .avi files.

How to Make a DVD from an .avi File

You will first need to run Windows on your Mac. There are several different types of software to do this. Some are free and some are not. I personally use Parallels (not free) but there is also Boot Camp (free), VMWare Fusion (not free), and Q (free). These programs only work for Intel Macs.

Once you have one of these emulators installed you must then install a copy of Windows using this software. I have found you need Windows XP to have a minimum of 15gb of disk space to burn the dvd’s properly. (You can see how the cost is adding up but you may have an old copy of Windows lying around from your pre-Mac era of computing).

Now that you have Windows set up and running on your Mac you will need to install Convert X to DVD which is a Windows program. Install it and launch it.

Now drag the .avi files you want to burn into your Windows so that it gets copied into your Windows Operating System. Once that is done all you have to do is drag those files yet again into the white area of Convert X to DVD.

There are other options to use in Convert X to DVD in terms of adding subtitle channels (if your .avi file came with subtitles which is a separate file with an .srt file extension), or adding menu titles and the number of items to be displayed on the menu. Once this is done press convert and insert your recordable dvd into your disk drive. Wait a few hours and you will have a perfect version of the .avi file you downloaded ready to bring over to your buddy’s house to watch or to give to someone as a gift.

Once that is done you can close Windows and pretend like the whole thing never happened. Now go have a shower.

Don’t let primetime television schedules determine YOUR schedule! Once you learn how to watch tv on your mac computer you will never watch television the same way again.

Now there are lots of websites out there that offer streaming television shows, but I am a fan of a quality program that is not subject to poor bandwidth connections and choppy grainy low quality picture. That is why this tutorial will show you how to watch top quality television shows on your mac computer.

Here is what you will need to get started downloading television shows to your mac computer for FREE

First, you will need a Bit Torrent Client. These are programs that are free and are used to help you download large files. They work by taking pieces of the large files from many different peers and putting together a whole picture from many smaller parts.

The best torrent software for mac is Transmission. Transmission is fast, convenient, and looks good too. This is the only torrent application that displays real time download and upload information on a badge overtop the dock icon. This is pretty convenient as you can always keep a close eye on how fast your download is going.

Because Transmission sometimes doesn’t pick up all of the trackers you need a backup plan. I like to use Vuze when such a time arises. I rarely have to use this client but it works pretty well.

I would suggest downloading and installing Vuze first, then Transmission this way you will be able to make Transmission the default application for opening torrent files. You can always change this via other methods but this way is easiest for right now.

Once you have downloaded your Torrent Application you are ready to get started shopping for you favorite television shows online for FREE.

Right now my absolute favorite website for getting televisions shows on my computer is EZTV. You should bookmark this site right now as you will make this part of your morning routine in no time.

Once you visit EZTV you will see how simple is. EZTV lists the television shows by their air date. You can also type in the search field for your favorite program and it will display results for the entire season depending on if they are still available (which they almost always are).

Click on your television show of choice and it will download your torrent file which will automatically open Transmission. Transmission will present you with a menu that lists all of the files in the torrent. Usually it is just one file or sometimes several depending on the type of torrent file. You can uncheck any files that you don’t want to download and then click ok.

Your Torrent will take a little while to download depending on the speed of your internet connection and the amount of peers who are sharing the television show torrent. More popular shows will usually take less time to download. For example I like to download The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It usually only takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete the download. This show is popular, is only 20 minutes long, and I have a fast internet connection.

Once your show is finished downloading you will need to watch it. Most of the tv shows downloaded come in .avi format. Quicktime should be able to play these files. I have downloaded the free Perian extension for Quicktime which allows it to play a ton of different file formats.

I like Quicktime in that it is a slick interface that looks pretty good. It also has nice effects when resizing the window pane and other nice experience things that make you feel like you’re using fictional software in a movie. I’m not really sure why but I tend not to use Quicktime all that much for playing my video files.

My default program however is VLC Media Player which is a free media player that plays everything and anything. VLC looks pretty good on a mac, it’s butt ugly on Windows but does the trick and once you’re in full screen mode it doesn’t really matter anyway.

So in the morning before you head off to work do a quick check to see what shows you want to watch that night and have them download throughout the day. When you get home all you have to do is hook up your mac to your hdtv and start watching the shows like they were meant to be watched – without commercials! You can also just watch it on your regular screen but the hdtv option is a better experience.

In the past the method would be to burn avi files to a recordable dvd. Not only does this process take forever, it also doesn’t work that well if you don’t know how to do it properly. Another problem is that DVD-R’s cost money. Why on earth would you need copies of the vast majority of the shows or movies you download. I would say 90% of the movies I download and watch are not worth watching again, so why would I waste more time and money on them?

So download your shows and movies and watch them directly from your computer on your HDTV. If you like it you can then burn it, if you don’t you can delete it.

GATHER THE NECESSARY MATERIALS

• Video: DVI to HDMI Cable (length depending on your needs)
• Audio: 3.5mm to RCA Cable (length depending on your needs)

What cable to do you need to hook up a Macbook Pro to an HDTV?

My Macbook Pro has a DVI port on it. You can buy a cable that is called a DVI to HDMI. The DVI end (which looks a little wider than a standard PC Monitor Cable -VGA) hooks into the Mac. The HDMI end hooks into the television. A DVI to HDMI cable is your best video quality option for hooking your Mac up to an HDTV.

If you are looking for a good deal on these types of cables I would suggest the Apple Store – either online or in person (more options online). You can get a cable for about $20 which is cheaper than the other options available at Best Buy or other electronic stores.

You will also need an audio cable that goes from the speaker out on your Mac to the audio in on your television. This cable is called a Stereo 3.5mm to RCA Cable. You may already have one kicking around if you use it to connect your ipod to a larger speaker system.

How to Hook Up your Macbook Pro to an HDTV

Step 1: Turn it On
Turn on your HDTV and make sure that you select the proper source channel. There should be a source button on your remote where you can select the appropriate input. On my Samsung LNA550 the source menu reads HDMI/DVI which is the correct channel for the type of cable that we are using.

Step 2: Plug It In
Plug in the HDMI end of the cable into the appropriate section of your HDTV. This HDMI connection will be different than the others because it will also have the audio input next to it. While you are behind your television you should also plug in your audio cable. Neatly run the cables to where your Macbook Pro is kept. Plug the DVI end into the DVI out of your Macbook Pro. Plug the 3.5mm end of the audio cable into the headphone jack of the Macbook Pro.

Step 3: Set Up Your View
Your Macbook Pro should automatically detect the new display. If it does not you must force it to detect displays. To do this you must go to System Preferences -> Displays and then press the button that says “Detect Displays”. This should refresh the screens and both should be tied into the Macbook Pro.

Once both screens are active, you have a few different options.

• Mirroring: Both screens show the same thing
• Dual Monitor: This setup allows you to move different windows to whichever screen you choose. This can really expand your real estate. You can also choose which monitor will be primary through your Display Settings under System Preferences. Go to the tab marked Arrangement and you will see two blue windows or screens. One of the screens will have a white rectangle across the top. This represents the menu bar. Drag the rectangle to the screen that you want to be primary. (Note: When using full screen applications like Quick Time or VLC I make the primary monitor the HDTV otherwise when you enter full screen mode it will switch back to the Macbook Pro screen thus defeating the purpose.)

You should now be setup to enjoy your Macbook Pro through your HDTV. You just need to learn how to watch television shows on your mac computer for free. Now here are some things that will make this setup even more convenient.

GATHER THE UNNECESSARY MATERIALS

Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
If you are planning on sitting well back from your HDTV then you are going to want a way to interact with your computer from the comfort of your couch. There are many wireless keyboards and mice available. Obviously Apple makes some pretty slick wireless devices for your Mac. The choice is up to you – just make sure that the device will be able to offer the range you are needing.

Cooling Pad (if you are using a Macbook)
Running video on your Macbook Pro can make it warm up pretty quick. You can also start to hear the fan at this point. Laptop cooling pads are designed to be silent and keep the Macbook or Macbook Pro cool and quiet. You can also look for laptop cooling pads that offer extended functionality like memory card readers and extra usb ports.